


You are Freezing Over Hell

by mcmissiles



Category: DragonFable (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Fleshweaver Hero, Gen, don't look at me I hate this too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-23 21:50:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18157460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcmissiles/pseuds/mcmissiles
Summary: An unwinnable fight pushes Stephanie to do something she never thought she would. In the aftermath, she seeks out the only person who might understand.





	You are Freezing Over Hell

There was no other choice.

The power twisted in her core clawed at her skin wound itself into her, icy stabbing tearing and she’d won, she’d saved them, no one else would die today, but the thought was distant behind the shrieking chill and the power that twitched in her hands, the voice that said _what have you done_ and _I’m sorry_ and _there was no other choice_.

Wasn’t there?

Her tears froze her eyes open so she couldn’t shut out the broken scene, the destruction she couldn’t avoid, the dawning horror on the people’s faces as they tried to understand what had happened. She fled. So much faster than she was before. Her heart pounded, pushed ice through her veins. By the time she realized where she was going she was halfway there.

He’d understand. If anyone would, if anyone could. He’d felt the desperation and weakness, the power and the regret, and he would know, better than anyone, what had driven her to it.

Avatars, he had to.

She placed a hand on the door. It opened. He stared at her.

“Please,” she said, her voice scraping her throat. “I didn’t know… who else to come to.”

Silently, he opened the door and allowed her inside. Closing the door behind her, he turned slowly to face her.

“What happened?”

She shook her head. The icy flames in her peripheral vision made her nauseous. “The whole town was going to be destroyed. I wasn’t—I couldn’t do anything. I was too weak. I…”

“What did you do?”

“I’ve failed too many people! I couldn’t let it happen again! How can I call myself a hero if—if I can’t _save_ anyone? What else could I do?”

_“What_ did you _do_?”

“I—Aegis—” She couldn’t find her voice to say it, but the change in his expression told her he had filled in the rest.

“You didn’t.”

“He let me do it. It… was the last thing he said.” She clenched her jaw. “I don’t… I don’t know how I can stand it—”

“I don’t know how you could do it in the first place.”

She stared at him with pleading, frosted eyes. “I didn’t have a choice! Those people were going to die, and who knows how many more after them! I needed an advantage! I thought you of all people would understand!”

He looked down and was silent for a moment. Finally, he met her eyes again, his own flashing scarlet. When he spoke, it was through clenched teeth.

“You thought I would _understand?_ ”

Stephanie shrank back from his gaze. “I—you’ve made choices—”

“Even I would never have done what you did.”

She shook her head, lost. “I wanted to save them! I had to be stronger! You know what that’s like!” Her vision was clouding now, but her eyes still refused to shut. “I can’t forgive myself, I know, I know it was wrong, it was horrible, I don’t know how I can _live_ with it—I—I just need someone to know what I’m feeling! Please!”

“There are sacrifices that shouldn’t be made. Lines that no one should cross. Magic that shouldn’t be dealt with. I would know.” He narrowed his eyes. Stephanie could barely make out his expression, but his voice was hushed when he spoke again. “I thought you were better than this. What _are_ you?”

She stared straight ahead. The silence closed in, broken only by the creaking of the ice in her flesh. She couldn’t bear to look at herself.

“I don’t know.”

Sepulchure regarded her with something close to pity. He reached out, took her chin in his hand, tilted her head up to face him again. His voice was almost gentle.

“Get used to that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a prompt from valonabditus on tumblr:  
> "Here's an idea. A worst case scenario occurs, stephanie has to consume aegis and become a fleshweaver to protect a town. She's not taking it well. She needs someone to talk to. Someone who understands what making bad decisions like that is like."  
> I didn't intend to be so mean when I started this, but, well,


End file.
